back home in Brussels

It's a rainy Sunday, and we're all in our apartment together... the weather is looking a bit better so perhaps it will clear up later on and we can escape to the outdoors. I hope we'll get some sunlight and maybe duplicate the Irish rainbow I mentioned seeing in Limerick (see above).

Yesterday we went to a brocante or street sale around the corner, and picked up a few things: a light fixture for the boys' bedroom, a sweater for Malcolm, some bowls, and a sideboard in flamed oak, with two doors with art-nouveau inspired marquetry, two drawers, and a really beautiful warm brownish-grey marble top for a very inexpensive price.

We've been thinking carefully about additional furniture for this place, and have have also found a desk for the boys' room; our neighbors have a couple of armoires on offer. A bed for us and a desk for our room will likely do the trick. For the moment I can use the virtual piano that comes with my computer, but I do need to get a keyboard of some sort both for my own practice and so that Duncan can hammer away at his original songs, and potentially continue with the piano practice we started last year.

The boys liked the presents I brought them: two Munster rubgy jerseys. Munster were the winners of the 2008 Heineken Cup and so were became Champions of Europe for the second time. The Corkonians are understandably proud of this, so I thought it an appropriate present, and brought the boys home and away jerseys.


If the weather tomorrow is poor, it will be like a rugby pitch in here; there is a trade union day of action planned for tomorrow, and while the school will provide garderie (daycare) they suggested that we not send children to school. Given that I've been away for a month I'll keep them home with me and we'll spend time together, but I do hope that we can get out at one point during the day.

Maggie will be blogging later; be sure and check out her next post here.